News briefs

Hermit shoots, kills two police officers

BROXTON, Ga. - A man described as a hermit killed a policeofficer who had come to tow away his mobile home, and then fatallyshot a deputy who had rushed to assist the fallen officer,authorities said.

The man surrendered after police helicopters began circlingoverhead, and was charged today with two counts of felony murder.

Willie Mitchell, 55, apparently knew police would be serving awarrant to evict his mobile home and hid a gun at the edge of thewoods just behind his trailer, said Roy Harris of the George Bureauof Investigation.

When Broxton officer James Bryant and some workers arrived Mondayafternoon with a truck to haul away the rusty, white mobile home,Mitchell ran to the woods and allegedly shot and killed Bryant.

"This should have been one of the simplest things in lawenforcement work, moving a sorry joker who won't pay his rent,"Coffee County Sheriff Carlton Evans said today. Bryant was shot inboth arms and the mouth with a deer rifle, he said.

State Trooper Lisa Stock arrived to help and attempted to crawlto Bryant. Deputy Almond "Tub" Merritt was trying to give hercovering fire when he was shot in the chest, Evans said.

Merritt, 53, died at a hospital.

Husband kills

wife, then self

FAULKNER, Md. - A man shot and killed his estranged wife, thenkilled himself, even as a judge's order for his arrest on harassmentcharges sat unprocessed in a court clerk's office.

Police said that James Lancaster Sr., 36, went to the home of hisestranged wife, Janice Lancaster, 34, about 6 a.m. Monday.

After arguing with her, Lancaster pulled out a shotgun and killedher, then went to the front porch and fatally shot himself, policesaid. The couple's 17-year-old daughter saw the shooting and calledpolice.

A Dec. 28 court order barred Lancaster from contacting his wife.The next day, District Judge Gary S. Gasparovic signed a benchwarrant for Lancaster's arrest after prosecutors filed charges thathe was harassing his wife.

Court officials say that while the bench warrant normally wouldhave been processed within two days, it was not handled because ofthe New Year's holiday and a staffing shortage.

Carole Alexander, executive director of the House of Ruth inBaltimore, an advocacy group for domestic violence victims, said thekilling "again calls into question whether there is any realprotection when women do take action to protect themselves."

Teen dies, boy

shot in N.Y. mall

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - Shots erupted inside a suburban mall,killing a teen-ager and wounding an 8-year-old bystander who wasshopping with his family.

The 17-year-old, whose identity was not released, died hoursafter the shooting Monday evening at the Galleria mall in this NewYork suburb. Police Capt. Peter Viviano say today if the teen alsohad a gun but said investigators have "a good idea" of what happenedand it wasn't gang-related.

No arrests had been made as of this morning but three people werebeing questioned and mall security videotape was being reviewed, hesaid.

The shooting happened in a vestibule between the parking area andthe main selling floor of the mall, Viviano said.

Playing catch-up with arrival of Teresa

The only other Teresa I have ever known was a girl I met in thefirst grade. In a class with multiple Steves, Kathys and Joes, it wasodd and I would have thought an unlikely coincidence that there weretwo Teresas.

She and I remained in the same class at the same school throughthe 12th grade. We were never really friends, and I wonder how muchof that had to do with the unspoken rivalry that comes with thesharing of an uncommon name -- not uncommon like Moon Unit, Scout orApple, but uncommon in the way that Teresa just isn't a name you seeon any expectant parents' short list. It's neither modern nor old-fashioned; smart nor ditzy; cute nor ugly; timid nor aggressive. Itsort of fades into the background.

My sister had the classic movie "Sabrina," with the beautiful andelegant Audrey Hepburn in the title role, to look to her entire life;my brother could look to no less than the discoverer of our greatnation, Christopher Columbus. My sister, I must say, always has had akeen sense of style and fashion, and my brother, as it happens,traveled halfway around the world, settling down to life on an islandin the Pacific. For me, there was nothing, and no one. OK, there wasMother Teresa, but let's be honest here, she was not human, she wassaintly. No one could live up to that example.

Who could predict that well into my adult years, another notableTeresa would surface -- one with whom I could identify and emulate.

Teresa Heinz Kerry is the ultimate role model for me, especiallysince we already have so much in common. Except that she is foreignborn and married to a U.S. senator/presidential nominee, is amultibillionaire, can speak five languages and is a generation olderthan me, we are pretty much the same person.

Let's look at some similarities:

*She has a son named Christopher. My brother's name isChristopher.

*We both spell our name without the "H," a fact that no one, asidefrom family, ever seems to get right no matter how many times theyare corrected. I'm fully expecting this to change once THK is in theWhite House.

*We have the same hair sensibility. No fuss, no muss, let it hangnaturally, and if it should fly in our faces, who cares? StevenCojocaru of "Entertainment Tonight" had a problem with Teresa's hairat the Democratic National Convention. But frankly, he lost allcredibility when he went on to praise Hillary Clinton's "sassy" 'do.Now, normally I couldn't give a flying Fendi about celebrity style,but if that 'do was sassy, I'll wear my Monica Lewinsky wig to worktomorrow.

*She's been outspoken on the campaign trail, having toldconservative journalists where to go, so to speak, and then elicitingthunderous applause at the convention when unashamedly declaringherself "opinionated." Though my outspokenness in tellingconservative journalist bosses where to go, so to speak, got me firedfrom a job once, I will stand tall here and now to reaffirm myopinionated nature. Bring on the applause.

Robert Novak's column in last Sunday's Sun-Times ran under thefollowing headline: Teresa: Asset or liability?

I say Asset, with a capital A. Teresa Heinz Kerry has foreveraltered my worldview regarding my name. I wear it proudly, a newfoundbadge of honor. I've instructed my co-workers to address me as Te-RAY-za for the remainder of the election season. And if anyone shouldhave a problem with that, I have two well-placed and affectionatelyspoken words: "Shove it."

[ KUP'S COLUMN ]

THE TORRENTIAL downpour during the morning rush hour on Thursdayleft many commuters thinking, "It's either sink or swim." Cosmeticstycoon Marilyn Miglin, who wrote the following letter, got stuck in aflooded viaduct while driving her daughter's SUV and was rescued bysome good samaritans.

"MY DEAR KUP: On Thursday, Aug. 2, I cut the ribbon to officiallyopen the new AmeriSuites Hotel developed by my son Duke and developerAl Friedman. I am opening a brand new Marilyn Miglin spa in thehotel. Following the success of my inspirational audiotape, I havefinished my first book, Best Face Forward. This motivationalautobiography details my many high points and lows and will bepublished around the holidays. I also returned to my roots as adancer by working with master tap dancer Lane Alexander on the recentChicago Human Rhythm Project's Jubalee gala, where Gregory Hines washonored, and I am celebrating my eighth year as television's Queen ofFragrance. I have also entered the realm of medicine through mychairmanship of a new company, Advanced Medical Products. And, itseems that at times, even I am not able to keep up with my whirlwindschedule. Love, Marilyn"

THE RAINBOW/PUSH Coalition's annual conference kicks off Wednesdayat the Hyatt Regency Chicago and continues through Aug. 12. Among theprominent people slated to speak are Sen. Thomas Daschle, the NAACP'sKweisi Mfume, the new CEO of Schools Arne Duncan, Magic Johnson,advertising whiz Carol Williams and Rep. Maxine Waters.

THE POLICE Dept.'s "Beyond the Rhetoric" seminar is scheduled forMonday through Thurs-day at the Hyatt Regency Mc-Cormick Place. VIPspeakers include U. S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Richard Clarkof the National Security Council, author Jeffrey Robinson,Microsoft's Howard Schmidt and Luis Vargas, of the Colombian NationalPolice.

MY THANKS to attorney Phil Corboy and Howard Mendel-sohn, both ofwhom donated most generously to help jump-start the newlyestablished Irv Kupcinet Scholarship Fund at Columbia College.Mendelsohn is a trustee and spearheaded the project.

THE SWEET sounds of songstress Melba Moore will resound in asummer concert at the Christ Universal Temple on Saturday. She alsowill be autographing copies of her latest CD, "I'm Still Here."

JEFF JACOBS, president and general counsel of Oprah's HarpoEntertainment, has been asked to deliver the keynote address at the115th annual meeting of the Legal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan FamilyServices on Wednesday at the Standard Club.

ON THE Scene: Actress Eliza-beth ("Big," "About Last Night")Perkins dined at Rosebud on Rush. . . . Former Gov. Jim Thompson andwife, Jayne, dining on salmon at Petterino's. . . . Astronaut JimLovell enjoying the cuisine at Lloyd's.

CONGRATS to La Strada restaurateur Mike Mormando and wife, Rita,on the birth of Peter Michael. . . . The South Central CommunityServices gala is Aug. 18 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Fox-TV'sRobin Robinson is the emcee.

QUEEN LATIFAH and Dionne Warwick will be the featured celebritieswith the HistoryMakers annual fund-raiser in collaboration with theChicago Humanities Festival on Nov. 15 at the Field Museum.

OUR CONDOLENCES to Sun-Times editorial artist Cliff Wirth on thedeath of his beloved wife, Lois.

BIRTHDAYING: Loni Anderson, Jonathan Silverman, publisher HarveyPlotnick, Peter Nolan, Patrick Ewing, bank exec Paul Larson, Sun-Times' Albert Dickens, and anniversary greetings to Paul and AngelHarvey. On Monday: Dorian Harewood, Catherine Hicks and my stellarassistant Stella Foster. On Tuesday: B. J. Thomas, Stephen Wolf,Garrison Keillor and anniversary wishes to Tom Selleck and Jillie. OnWednesday: Dustin Hoffman, Connie Stevens, Mrs. Seymour Simon andson, attorney John, and Deborah Nor-ville.

OVERHEARD: "I still remember my college days--all four of them."--Henny Youngman

Contributing: Stella Foster

"Energy Star" label graces churches for efficiency

Old and new intersect at First Parish Church in Massachusetts, which holds 18th-century timber in its walls and displays proof of its 21st-century energy efficiency with an "Energy Star" plaque by the door.

"Energy Star" status, more commonly associated with dishwashers and refrigerators, is now available to houses of worship as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency looks to lower energy use at thousands of congregations nationwide.

First Parish in Needham is one of just nine congregations in the nation with the designation, which it won after a recent multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation.

Among its upgrades: temperature controls for each room so energy isn't wasted in areas that aren't being used; a ventilation system that adjusts to the number of people inside by measuring the carbon dioxide being exhaled; new insulation in the meeting house walls, which are partly supported by beams from the church's original 1774 building.

As churches consider new efficiency upgrades, the EPA hopes they tap into the same ancient religious principle _ good stewardship of the earth _ that drove First Parish.

"It's a spiritual issue," said The Rev. John Buehrens, pastor of the Unitarian Universalist church. "Stewardship of the planet and a realization of the fragility of the creation and our responsibility of preserving its beauty is absolutely central to our religious values."

The United States has an estimated 370,000 houses of worship, nearly the number of its K-12 school buildings.

Some buildings seem primed for big improvement, such as the stately churches with high ceilings and leaky windows that are common in buildings in New England town squares. But Michael Zatz, EPA Energy Star commercial buildings manager, said older churches aren't necessarily far less efficient than newer buildings. Instead, he said, focusing on churches can have broad impact.

"The people sitting in those congregations are workers in ... other places _ teachers in the schools, managers of hotels _ and they might learn through the congregation about what can be done in buildings in general and take it into their workplace," he said. "They also may take it back to their home."

The EPA has reached out to congregations since 1999. But it just began awarding the Energy Star label in October. Before then, a periodic federal building survey hadn't reviewed enough houses of worship to allow the EPA to draw up Energy Star scores for that building type, Zatz said.

So far nine congregations from Alabama to Michigan have won the label. Variables such as a building's size, location and energy use over a year are plugged into a formula. The building's actual energy usage is then compared to what the formula predicts it will use. If it's more efficient than 75 percent of similar houses of worship, it's eligible for the Energy Star label. A licensed engineer must also verify the numbers.

Montevallo Presbyterian Church in Montevallo, Ala., earned the label after an assembly hall renovation completed in 2008. The work included such changes as installing energy efficient appliances, switching to better insulated windows and putting the water heater on a timer so that it's on only when needed, said the church's "Green Team" leader, Bill Peters.

Peters said the church is heeding Biblical commands to care for creation, but also wanted to decrease the impact of a nearby coal-burning power plant.

"The more electricity we consume, the more that that power plant has to pollute our air," Peters said.

After its efficiency upgrades, First Parish in Needham saw a significant drop in its utility bill, which fell from $20,000 to $12,000 in a year. Even after such significant savings, it will take years to make a dent in what it paid to make energy efficiency a priority in its $3.3 million renovation. But good environmental stewardship was the point, not cutting bills, Buehrens said.

"You don't spend $3.3 million in order to cut your utility bill in half," he said. "You do it for a much bigger set of reasons."

Zatz said congregations generally don't need a lot of money to get big gains in efficiency. Simple steps often mean a lot, he said.

"The most common one you hear, and it sounds silly but many people don't do it, is: 'Turn off the lights when you leave,'" Zatz said.

Furcal Gets 4 Hits Again in Dodgers' Win

Rafael Furcal has broken out of an early season slump in a big way and Carlos Lee is beginning to feel more comfortable after a slow start, too.

Furcal continued his extraordinary offensive surge with four hits Tuesday night, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat St. Louis 9-7 to snap a 10-game losing streak to the Cardinals.

Furcal has four hits in three straight games - the first major leaguer to accomplish that feat since Marcus Giles did it for the Atlanta Braves in 2003. Furcal played for the Braves at that time.

"It was in Montreal. I remember that," the Dodgers' switch-hitting shortstop said. "It was unbelievable."

That pretty much tells the story regarding Furcal, who has 14 hits in his last 16 at-bats to raise his batting average from .214 to .297.

"I say, `Thank God,' because it's unbelievable," Furcal said with a smile.

Lee hit a solo home run, his second of the game, in the 10th inning off Jonathan Sanchez (1-1) to lift the Houston Astros to a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth but Hunter Pence tied it with a two-run drive off Armando Benitez. Lee then won it with his ninth home run of the season and the third game-winning homer of his career.

"We know what we have in this clubhouse is the ability to do a lot of damage and score a lot of runs," Lee said. "So we expect to score runs every day and do good every day."

In other NL games, it was: Philadelphia 4, Milwaukee 3; Chicago Cubs 10, New York Mets 1; Atlanta 6, Washington 2; Arizona 3, Colorado 0; Cincinnati 2, San Diego 1, 12 innings; and Florida 9, Pittsburgh 3.

At Houston, Lee went 4-for-4, scored four runs and finished with two RBIs and Hunter Pence was 3-for-3 with three RBIs for the Astros, who won for the ninth time in 13 games. Chad Qualls (4-1) pitched a scoreless 10th to get the win.

Furcal had hits off Adam Wainwright (3-3) in each of the first three innings, and another off Russ Springer in the seventh.

Derek Lowe (4-4) earned the victory despite a shaky performance, allowing eight hits and four runs in 5 1-3 innings in Los Angeles. Takashi Saito worked the ninth for his 12th save.

Phillies 4, Brewers 3

At Philadelphia, Carlos Ruiz hit a solo homer with two outs in the ninth to lift the Phillies to the win.

Brett Myers allowed Johnny Estrada's tying solo homer in the ninth for his first blown save, but Ruiz connected off Derrick Turnbow (1-2) for his first career game-winning homer.

Myers (1-2) had converted his first four save opportunities since replacing injured closer Tom Gordon, and hadn't allowed a run since his first relief appearance.

Turnbow, the losing pitcher Monday night, retired the first two batters in the ninth. But Ruiz drove a 2-1 pitch into the left-center field seats for his third homer.

The Phillies have won five of six.

Cubs 10, Mets 1

Aramis Ramirez hit a grand slam and Carlos Zambrano pitched eight sharp innings for Chicago.

Cliff Floyd had three hits and an RBI in his first start at Shea Stadium since spending the previous four seasons with the Mets, and Chicago handed John Maine (5-1) his first loss of the year.

Ramirez's seventh career slam, off Scott Schoeneweis, broke it open in a six-run sixth.

Zambrano (4-3) allowed six hits, walked three and struck out three.

Shawn Green homered in the fifth inning for the Mets, who had won five of six and nine of 12. Carlos Delgado left in the seventh, one inning after he was hit on the left hand by Zambrano's pitch. He is day to day with a bruised pinky.

Braves 6, Nationals 2

Edgar Renteria hit two home runs, Tim Hudson allowed one run in seven innings, and Atlanta ended the Nationals' four-game winning streak.

Renteria went 3-for-5 as the visiting Braves snapped a two-game losing streak. Atlanta has won six of its last eight.

Hudson (5-1) had a perfect game through 4 2-3 innings and lowered his ERA to 1.77. Hudson gave up three hits, walked one and struck out four before leaving for a pinch hitter in the eighth.

Washington right-hander Jerome Williams (0-5), who was activated from the disabled list to make the start, promptly went down with another injury in the third inning. Williams was removed from the game with a strained rotator cuff. He allowed five runs and seven hits, and did not retire any of the four batters he faced in the third.

Diamondbacks 3, Rockies 0

Arizona's Randy Johnson allowed one hit over six innings and outpitched Jason Hirsh.

For the second straight start, Johnson (1-2) looked like The Big Unit who won five Cy Young Awards. Johnson, who underwent back surgery last October, struck out nine and walked none in winning for the first time since his return to Arizona after two frustrating seasons with the New York Yankees.

Tony Pena gave up one hit in two scoreless innings and Jose Valverde finished the three-hitter with his 13th save in 15 chances.

Hirsh (2-4) allowed three earned runs and seven hits in eight innings.

Conor Jackson hit his first home run since Oct. 1 and Eric Byrnes connected for his sixth of the season.

Reds 2, Padres 1, 12 innings

Ken Griffey Jr. hit a leadoff homer in the 12th inning to help Cincinnati end a four-game losing streak.

Griffey hit his eighth of the season and career homer No. 571 off Heath Bell (0-2) on a full-count fastball. Griffey has hit all of his homers this season in the last 18 games.

The Reds won for just the third time in 14 games and also broke a six-game road losing streak.

David Weathers (1-2) pitched three perfect innings to get the win and finish off the two-hitter.

Griffey's big hit came after the Padres tied it in the eighth on a balk by Aaron Harang, who allowed two hits, walked four and struck seven in nine innings.

Marlins 9, Pirates 3

Dan Uggla drove in four runs while hitting two of Florida's four homers, helping Sergio Mitre win for the first time in more than a year.

Hanley Ramirez also homered while reaching base five times for Florida, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Jeremy Hermida hit a solo shot as the Marlins won for only the fifth time in their last 18 games in Pittsburgh.

Mitre (1-2) gave up three runs - two earned - and eight hits in 7 2-3 innings. He ended a six-game losing streak that spanned 19 appearances since April 4, 2006.

Florida had a four-run sixth against Paul Maholm (2-5) highlighted by Uggla's go-ahead, two-run homer.

Copperfield Magic Canceled by FBI Probe

BANGKOK, Thailand - David Copperfield has canceled upcoming shows in Southeast Asia following an FBI search of his Las Vegas warehouse and a casino theater where he regularly performs.

"His management sent an e-mail to organizers Sunday to inform that his shows will be postponed indefinitely," Kittiyong Achawaphong of RSi Dream Entertainment said Monday. The company organized the 51-year-old magician's shows in Thailand.

Copperfield was also scheduled to perform in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in the coming weeks. The cancellations came after FBI agents conducted searches in Las Vegas last week following allegations that Copperfield "forced himself" on an unidentified woman.

Copperfield's lawyer, David Chesnoff, has said the allegations "are false because David Copperfield has never forced himself on anyone." Neither law enforcement officials nor Chesnoff has provided details about the investigation.

Reached Monday, Chesnoff said the shows were canceled because tour operators in Asia default on their contracts. "Those are serious allegations," Chesnoff said. "But there's no truth to them."

Promoters of some of the Asian shows are trying to negotiate with Copperfield's management to reschedule the performances or recoup some of their losses.

"We are told by Copperfield management that David's show had been canceled by the artist," said Peter Basuki, whose company was organizing the Jakarta show.

"They said they would like to find any other available time to perform in Jakarta," Basuki said. "With this cancellation, we have lost more than $1 million for advertising and other preparations. Business is business. We want to make a profit. But this is making us lose money."

---

On the Net:

David Copperfield:

http://www.dcopperfield.com/

Pakistani Clerics Demand Pope's Removal

LAHORE, Pakistan - About 1,000 Muslim clerics and religious scholars meeting Thursday in eastern Pakistan demanded the removal of Pope Benedict XVI for making what they called "insulting remarks" against Islam.

Benedict "should be removed from his position immediately for encouraging war and fanning hostility between various faiths" and "making insulting remarks" against Islam, said a joint statement issued by the clerics and scholars at the end of their one-day convention.

The "pope, and all infidels, should know that no Muslim, under any circumstances, can tolerate an insult to the Prophet (Muhammad). ... If the West does not change its stance regarding Islam, it will face severe consequences," it said.

The meeting was organized by the radical Islamic group Jamaat al-Dawat, which runs schools, colleges and medical clinics. In April, Washington put the group on a list of terrorist organizations for its alleged links with militants fighting in the Indian part of Kashmir.

The meeting came after the pope said Sunday he was "deeply sorry" about the reactions to his remarks and that they did not reflect his own opinions.

He said Wednesday that he has "deep respect" for Islam, but he did not offer an apology that was demanded by some Muslim leaders offended by his remarks in Germany last week.

The pope acknowledged that his remarks were open to misinterpretation, but insisted he had not intended to endorse a negative view of Islam.

In Germany, Benedict cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."

"This quote unfortunately lent itself to be misunderstood," the pontiff said Wednesday. "In no way did I wish to make my own the words of the medieval emperor. I wished to explain that not religion and violence, but religion and reason go together."

The clerics and religious scholars said they did not regard Benedict's latest comments as an apology.

"The pope has neither accepted his mistake, nor apologized for his words," it said.

The statement also said jihad was not terrorism and that "Islam was not propagated with the sword, but it became popular and was accepted by the oppressed peoples of the world because of its universal values and teachings."

"Jihad is waged to rid an area, state, or the world of oppression, violence, cruelty, and terrorism, and bring peace and relief to the people. History is full of incidents where Muslims waged jihad to provide relief to people of many faiths, especially Jews and Christians," it said.

Pakistan is the world's second most populous Muslim country, and its people have held small, peaceful rallies since the publication of pope's remarks about Islam.

Pakistani Clerics Demand Pope's Removal

LAHORE, Pakistan - About 1,000 Muslim clerics and religious scholars meeting Thursday in eastern Pakistan demanded the removal of Pope Benedict XVI for making what they called "insulting remarks" against Islam.

Benedict "should be removed from his position immediately for encouraging war and fanning hostility between various faiths" and "making insulting remarks" against Islam, said a joint statement issued by the clerics and scholars at the end of their one-day convention.

The "pope, and all infidels, should know that no Muslim, under any circumstances, can tolerate an insult to the Prophet (Muhammad). ... If the West does not change its stance regarding Islam, it will face severe consequences," it said.

The meeting was organized by the radical Islamic group Jamaat al-Dawat, which runs schools, colleges and medical clinics. In April, Washington put the group on a list of terrorist organizations for its alleged links with militants fighting in the Indian part of Kashmir.

The meeting came after the pope said Sunday he was "deeply sorry" about the reactions to his remarks and that they did not reflect his own opinions.

He said Wednesday that he has "deep respect" for Islam, but he did not offer an apology that was demanded by some Muslim leaders offended by his remarks in Germany last week.

The pope acknowledged that his remarks were open to misinterpretation, but insisted he had not intended to endorse a negative view of Islam.

In Germany, Benedict cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."

"This quote unfortunately lent itself to be misunderstood," the pontiff said Wednesday. "In no way did I wish to make my own the words of the medieval emperor. I wished to explain that not religion and violence, but religion and reason go together."

The clerics and religious scholars said they did not regard Benedict's latest comments as an apology.

"The pope has neither accepted his mistake, nor apologized for his words," it said.

The statement also said jihad was not terrorism and that "Islam was not propagated with the sword, but it became popular and was accepted by the oppressed peoples of the world because of its universal values and teachings."

"Jihad is waged to rid an area, state, or the world of oppression, violence, cruelty, and terrorism, and bring peace and relief to the people. History is full of incidents where Muslims waged jihad to provide relief to people of many faiths, especially Jews and Christians," it said.

Pakistan is the world's second most populous Muslim country, and its people have held small, peaceful rallies since the publication of pope's remarks about Islam.